None of us are without fault, without sin. We have all done things for which we are or should be ashamed. Worse than that, we are mostly likely continuing to do certain things we know to be wrong. How do we handle this? How do we handle the guilt?
Those who believe in God may hope that He will be merciful to them. Though they have done things that are wrong, sometimes grievously wrong, they trust God will forgive them. He is a merciful God. Besides, Scripture is encouraging in speaking of His mercy.
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
Ps. 51;1.
If we are continuing to sin, then God perhaps will wipe these sins away—blot them out. It is a view, an attitude, endemic in our culture. It is the idea that though we may well sin against God, He will forgive us.
If you stop to think about it, though, you can see that there is a mind game going on here. Our salvation no longer depends on how we live, but upon whether God will forgive us. Mind games are popular with those who wish to avoid responsibility for their actions, with those who wish to avoid fault. And to make the consequences of our actions dependent solely upon Divine mercy is to make God alone responsible for those consequences.
There are three aspects of the Lord’s mercy that we perhaps too conveniently overlook.
- God has already forgiven us. “His mercy is everlasting” (Ps. 100:5). He never withholds His mercy, but loves each one of us. He wants us to be happy forever.
- It is the very nature of evil that it brings unhappiness upon the evildoer (did you ever feel happy while wanting to hurt another human being?). Because He is truly merciful, He does not turn a blind eye to our evils, because He knows they will bring us misery. It is of His mercy that He provides us with the way to put away such things, to cast away those things that bring misery.
- Then, there is another aspect of His mercy that few reflect upon. He loves us with a love so intense and so merciful that He allows us to choose for ourselves what kind of person we wish to become. He longs for us to choose the way of righteousness, the way of happiness. But this is something we must choose. He does not force it on us. His love does not compel. If we wish instead to choose the way of selfishness, of bitterness, of hatred, of evil, we are free to do so. This also is of His mercy.
By our way of life, we choose what kind of person we become. We all make mistakes. We have all sinned. But we do not need to keep sinning. The Lord in His mercy provides us a way of changing the way we live, and turning to the path of life, of happiness.
Do we wish to sink down into the darkness of selfishness, of unkindness, of hatred, and so choose to be miserable to eternity? Or do we wish to look upwards and follow the path that leads towards everlasting happiness? We make our choice by our intentions and actions, by our work. The Lord, in His mercy, will respect this choice, whatever it may be.
. . . to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.
Ps. 62:12
Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.
Matt. 7:20.